DS Daily - 19th October 2011

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs: open meeting - 31 October 2011

Monday 31 October 2011, from 10am-12.45pm. There will be an opportunity for attendees to provide feedback to the ACMD and participate in a question and answer session. Attendance is free, but by registration only as places are limited. Places will be issued on a 'first come, first served' basis | Home Office, UK

Draft mental health PbR guidance for 2012-13 and update on other PbR issues

David Flory, Deputy NHS Chief Executive, has written to the Health Service, and Directors of Adult Social Services, about publication of an early draft of the PbR guidance for 2012-13 for working age adults and older people | Department of Health, UK

People on methadone can succeed on hepatitis C treatment

Opiate users on methadone maintenance therapy can be successfully treated for chronic hepatitis C and can achieve outcomes similar to those of people not on methadone, according to data presented at the 13th European AIDS Conference last week in Belgrade | Aidsmap, UK

Hepatitis C risk can be cut "by up to 80 percent'

Hepatitis C risk can be cut "by up to 80 percent' through mix of oral substitute and high needle/syringe coverage, says new report | Scottish Drugs Forum, UK

Newcastle addiction rehab centre's 'high success rate'

The 18-week residential course at the BAC O'Connor centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme is based on abstinence from all dugs, including stabilisers commonly used in rehabilitation, like methadone | BBC, UK

Judge calls for Wales to lead way in pioneering US-style drug dependency courts

Speaking at a conference in Cardiff (Oct 6th) District Judge Nicholas Crichton said the country is ideally placed to deal with the “core problems” of parental substance abuse | Daily Post, UK

Morality and the law

Suzy Dean talks to Roger Howard, CEO of the UK Drug Policy Commission

Alcohol-related admissions soar 125% at Bradford Royal Infirmary

The tragic toll drinking is taking on the district is revealed in a massive surge in hospital admissions for alcohol-related diseases | Bradford Telegraph and Argus, UK

Let's talk about alcohol - the new birds and the bees

Parents are being asked in a new campaign to do more to delay their child's "first drink". But how do you start the conversation about alcohol? | BBC, UK

Young women skip meals so they can save calories for drinking

The phenomenon known as ‘drunkorexia’ is most common among university students faced with the conflicting pressures of heavy drinking and staying slim | Daily Mail, UK

Steroids sales clampdown snares 50 Lothians dealers

The number of people caught selling steroids in the Lothians has soared, with police snaring nearly 50 dealers peddling the performance-enhancing substances in the last three years | Edinburgh Evening News, UK

Sentencing Council annual report

The Sentencing Council has published its first annual report since it came into being in April 2010 | Sentencing Council, UK

Harassing people on benefits degrades us all

The repugnant moral rhetoric about benefit claimants echoes Victorian prejudices about the 'undeserving poor | Guardian, UK

Slide pack for patients and public

It can be used by anyone who wants to run their own listening event. The deadline for comments is 31 October 2011 | The King's Fund, UK

Children of addicts 'more likely to experience problems in adulthood'

Youngsters whose parents take drugs are also more likely to have problems with substances, as well as their mental health, social skills and academically, a seminar hear | Irish Examiner

It works! Prevention from an international perspective

Conference Papers | European Cities Against Drugs

Enabling drug addicts

Safe injection sites do nothing to help users kick habit | Winnipeg Sun, Canada

Inmates who use drugs need greater help, committee hears

An expert told the House of Commons public safety committee Tuesday that it seemed "perverse" to him to send inmates who test positive for drugs to the back of the line for access to treatment | Vancouver Sun, Canada

Budget cuts force Montreal clinic to cut needle exchange program

Hundreds potentially affected, though Quebec plans to open new safe injection sites | Canadian University Press

ONDCP Joins SAMHSA in Celebrating Drug-Free Work Week

As we celebrate National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, Drug-Free Work Week provides an opportunity to highlight the benefits that these programs bring to employers, workers and communities | ONDCP, USA

Study Sheds Light on Young Suburban Heroin Users

Researchers found Chicago area suburban heroin users have little knowledge about the drug and its effects when they first use it, and they often substitute heroin after becoming addicted to prescription pain medications | PR Newswire

Technology Shows Promise in Substance Use Prevention and Treatment

Computer programs and applications for cell phones and other mobile devices are increasingly popular as tools for prevention and treatment of substance use disorders | Join Together, USA

Excessive Drinking Costs U.S. $223.5 Billion

A new study finds that excessive alcohol consumption cost the United States $223.5 billion in 2006, or about $1.90 per drink. By implementing effective community-based prevention strategies, we can reduce excessive alcohol consumption and its costs | CDC, USA

Preventing Multiple Risky Behaviours Among Adolescents: Seven Strategies

This Research Brief brings together findings from developmental science and from rigorous program evaluations to identify seven actionable, feasible strategies and relevant programs that have been found to affect two or more risky behaviors | Child Trends

Recapping Social Media for the National HIV Prevention Conference

As part of the planning and preparation for CDC’s 2011 National HIV Prevention Conference Exit Disclaimer (NHPC), we reached out to the staff of our CDC National Prevention Information Network Exit Disclaimer (NPIN) project to lend their expertise with social media outreach | AIDS.gov, USA

Scopes of Practice & Career Ladder for Substance Use Disorder Counseling

This document reports on a meeting, Expert Panel on Scopes of Practice In the Field of Substance of Use Disorders, held March 12, 2010, supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | SAMHSA, USA